"Someone set him up?"
Shiro recalled the moment when the Stow-on-Side Gym Leader had been arrested by him. The Machamp he battled back then was perfectly fine, showing no signs of disobedience.
'Maybe that Eldon was just a lousy trainer?'
He preferred to believe the man had been incompetent, gave the wrong commands, and lost. As for a Pokémon suddenly refusing orders and roaring at its own trainer during battle…
That sounded suspicious, like something caused by those berserk drugs or gadgets developed by Team Rocket.
In a live battle like that, the Gym Leader wouldn't be foolish enough to use an uncontrollable Pokémon.
"Tch..." Shiro couldn't figure out the truth behind it, but it wasn't his problem anyway.
He was only a challenger, and it was very likely that Rose was the one pulling the strings behind the Stow-on-Side incident.
Just as he was lost in thought, his communicator vibrated.
He picked it up and saw a message from Oleana, instructing their special squad to gather at the outdoor training field behind the company building to discuss plans for tomorrow.
It was now 8:30.
Shiro had already waited an hour and a half. Still, he wasn't in a hurry. He grabbed his packed backpack and took the elevator to the restaurant on the eleventh floor.
After eating breakfast slowly, he went to the training area on the ninth floor to feed his Pokémon before heading down.
By then it was exactly nine. Based on his experience, Marvin had probably just gotten out of bed. Allister should be at the outdoor field training with Edgar, working with his ghost-types. Nessa would likely arrive at 9:30 sharp.
He had pieced this schedule together after several team meetings, and it had never been wrong.
* * *
Five minutes later.
Shiro walked through the garden behind the building and soon reached the outdoor training field. The first thing he saw was Oleana standing in the corner with a file in hand, waiting.
She looked like she had been there for quite a while, checking her watch repeatedly, and occasionally looking over Allister and Edgar, who were training their Pokémon nearby.
When she spotted Shiro, Oleana let out a visible sigh of relief. She hurried over and asked urgently.
"Shiro, where are the other two?"
"Nessa should arrive in about twenty-five minutes. Marvin will be here around ten," Shiro replied.
Oleana frowned deeply at that, looking at the file again, then pulled out her communicator to type something.
A moment later, Shiro felt his device buzz in his pocket. He checked and saw another reminder from Oleana, urging everyone to get there quickly.
"Hmm... Nessa will be here in five minutes. Marvin's time won't change." He pointed out.
Oleana stared at him, puzzled, but then fell silent and waited.
As expected, about five minutes later, Nessa came jogging through the garden, slightly out of breath and wiping sweat from her forehead. She looked at Oleana.
Seeing Oleana's questioning gaze, Shiro could only shake his head helplessly.
Allister's schedule was fixed; he'd be at the outdoor training field at this time whether called or not.
The slowest one was Marvin.
He usually arrived at least an hour after waking up. Normally, that wouldn't be an issue, but since he rarely woke before nine, he was always the last to arrive in the morning.
Nessa used to rush over as soon as she got the message, but after wasting time waiting on multiple occasions, she started coming later as well.
Shiro was the same.
"Fine." Oleana muttered, clearly annoyed. But with her workload, she didn't have time to lecture them. "I have other matters to handle, so I'm leaving the rest to Granny Shae. She's the only one who can keep you all under control."
Shiro nodded casually, and Nessa did too.
Another thirty minutes passed, and Shae finally dragged Marvin in by the back of his collar, hauling him straight to the outdoor training field.
The nearly seventy-year-old woman was so furious that she gripped her cane tightly and started whacking Marvin's legs with it.
"Stop, stop! Granny, I was wrong! I'll wake up early next time... stop!" Marvin yelped, but she just hit him harder.
After that brief commotion, the four team members lined up in an orderly row.
In front of them stood Granny Shae, her expression stern, with old man Edgar watching from the side, arms crossed.
"Your most basic task is to eliminate the challengers taking part in the Gym Challenge. That's only the first step to take their qualifying spots. More importantly, during the Champion Cup, you must defeat at least one Gym Leader."
"If we defeat one, do we get their Gym Leader position?" Marvin asked, raising his hand.
Shae glared at him in silence until he felt his skin crawl, then explained, "Chairman Rose will announce the related policies, which will at least be supported by Hammerlocke and Stow-on-Side. That will be enough."
Policies?
Shiro could understand support from those Gyms. Hammerlocke had already aligned with the company temporarily. After all, Rose's goal was to control the Gym system, and Hammerlocke just needed to be stronger than the others.
As for Stow-on-Side, it was likely under Rose's full control.
But these so-called policies... could they really allow challengers to take Gym Leader positions by defeating them? And the Champion's title as well, determined by the results of the Champion Cup?
While he was still thinking, Shae continued.
"Besides that, there's another task you must complete."
She paused, then added, "In the Champion Cup, you must eliminate Kabu. Strip him of his position as Motostoke's Gym Leader."
"Eliminate Kabu?" Marvin was the first to talk again. "Didn't we check his Gym earlier and find nothing wrong?"
Shiro's gaze immediately turned to him.
So, while he was handling tasks in Hammerlocke, Marvin and the others had been sent to Motostoke? Was it to prevent Kabu from secretly sending Pokémon or trainers to aid the Dragon Tamer family?
And now... they had to ensure Kabu was removed? Was he really that dangerous? Dangerous enough for Rose to personally insist on taking him down?
Shae responded coldly, "Whether there's a problem or not is not for you to decide. Stop asking questions. When the Champion Cup comes, the proper arrangements will be made. I'm just warning you; watch out for Kabu during the Gym Challenge. Edgar and I won't always be there to protect you."
"Understood!"
The four of them answered in unison.
"Next, let's go over your specific actions during the Gym Challenge." Shae slowly pulled out a familiar file, the same one Oleana had handed her not long ago.
**
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